This is my first post! I have been getting the Insider the past several months and I have appreciated the posts. My comments today are regarding Art Prize 2012.
Last year at this time I joined Grand Valley Artists. As a result, I was able this year to enter a piece into Art Prize. Our location was at Huntington Bank at 50 Monroe in the "heart" of the action. Besides getting a prime location, the bank was wonderful to work with. They assigned someone to work with the artists, so the installations were easy. The bank also had a reception for the artists in the bank's location and invited their clients. So we got some exposure with the bank's clients and hope some of the art will sell.
I recomend artist involvement in Art Prize. Now is the time to think about being part of 2013. The prize money is substantial too ($536,000 this year). These are some of the guidelines established from the previous winners and printed in an article in the Grand Rapids Press.
The art piece should be large, family friendly, made from natural materials, made in a unique way and 6 other suggestions listed in the article. I made mine 30"x60" (larger than my normal 18x24) and I use colored pencils to paint my subjects - flowers. While I did use some of the guidelines suggested, I need to do more. I didn't make the top 25 vote getters this week. However, I don't care, I'm happy for the exposure.
If you think this might be the right venue, you should come to GR and check it out.
Comments
EmaLee, why don't you show us your entry here? It is easy to do. If you have the image on your computer just click on the "image" icon in the tool bar of the comment area and upload it.
Right, David, I should have known it was aspens, not birches ...
Yeah...it was a very mixed feeling about it all, but, like you said, maybe next year.
Yes, Connie, it was the large aspen drawing that was across the entire back of my booth in the photos with my review of "Art in the Pearl".
What a great story, David. Was it the one with the birches? Your story reinforces the podcast I did a while back where the art consultant said to "ask and ask big." Fabulous.
Here are the Top Ten, in running to win the really big bucks, to be announced on October 5. If you can make it to Grand Rapids you can vote for the winner.
Amazingly, former art fair artist Chris LaPorte (2010 top prize winner of $500,000) is one of the 10 finalists: https://www.artprize.org/entries/?promoted=top-10&sort=random_81
David, how wonderful for you. You made the right choice. I hope you enter again next year and I hope to finally get the chance to see something you have created.
It is a great event.
After hearing about it for a couple of years, often from patrons visiting my booths in some Florida shows, of all places (but then half of Michigan is there in the winter), I made the commitment to enter this year. I produced the largest pencil drawing I'd ever attempted (four feet tall by nine feet wide), was very pleased with the result and had lined up a great venue in the center of the action. Everything was in place.
Alas, I decided to exhibit the piece at the two shows just prior to delivering it to Grand Rapids (Portland and then St. Louis) to get the public's reaction and feedback. To my astonishment and despite a price I figured would discourage an immediate sale, it sold within the first four hours of the first day of the first show it had ever been on display publicly (Portland's "Art in the Pearl") at my asking price! The buyers weren't all that keen on loaning it to me for the duration of ArtPrize and I wasn't going to walk away from that very alluring chunk of cash they handed me so I reluctantly canceled out of ArtPrize at the last minute. Think: "A bird in the hand" and all that.
Oh, well. Next year...maybe.
Emalee, I planned for a year to take a trip to Grand Rapids for Art Prize. Then, I sprained my ankle. So, I will plan on going to ArtPrize 2013 now.
That's the Great amount that i never expect but the poster of 2012 is what is expect for the Art Prize.”Feels of the reeds” was one of the top most beautiful art of the Art Prize competition.
Overture Art Fair